Electric switch and means for locking it



J. KAVANA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH AND MEANS FOR LOCKING IT.

APPLIICATION man Nov. 18, 1920.

L416,71 I Patented May 16, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. KAVANA'..

ELECTRIC SWITCH AND MEANS FOR LOCKING IT. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 13. 1920. 4

1,41 6,4 1, muted. May 16, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES KAVANA, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH AND MEANS FOR LOCKING IT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Application filed November 18, 1920. Serial No. 424,814.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JAMES KAVANA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches and Means for Looking Them, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in electric switches and means for locking them.

provide a lock for locking a switch to render it inoperative and means, operated by a movable switch member to lock itself and other associatedv members.

Another object is the provision of a switch of the above characterwhichis capable of being locked by a movable switch member but. which .must be unlocked only by an insertable key and which may, when desired, be also locked by use of an insertable key.

Other, further and more specific objects of the invent-ion will become readily apparent, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: Y Fig. 1 is a plan view of the double switch about to be unlocked by use of a detached, insertable key.

Fig; 2 is a transverse section taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken 011 line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the switch locked by movement of one of the switch handles.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 3,v showing the position of the parts after the switches have been unlocked and free to be operated.

Fig. 5 is a diametric section taken on line 5 -5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows both switches unlocked and the circuits thereto closed.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

In the drawings 10 is a base of insulating material upon which the parts of the switch are mounted and 11 is the enclosing casing of suitable material. 12 and 13 are ledges upon which the pairs of switch blades 14, 15, 16 and 17 are mounted on one side and the One of the objects of the invention is to 1 pairs of switch blades 18 and 19, on the other side. These constitute members of two separate switches, the rotating members of the switch are mounted upon the shafts 2O and 21, respectively. The shaft 20 carries insulated blades 22 and 23 for alternate contact with the pairs of stationary blades 14, 15, 16 and 17, respectively, while the shaft 21 carries insulated blades 24 and 25 closing the circuit with the stationary pairs of blades 19 and 18, respectively. A handle '26 is used for operating the switch on the left side while a similar handle 27 is used for operating the switch on the opposite side by rotation of the shafts 20 and 21, respectively.

Mounted between the shafts 20 and 21 is a spring pressed, pivoted frame 29, carrying rollers 30 and 31 at its respective ends, and permitted to move vertically and pivotally but not laterally by the pin 32. A spring 33 bears upon one side of the axis of the frame 29. Rotating with the shaft 21 is a notched ring 34, and rotating with the shaft 20 is a notched ring 35. The roller 31 is located'in the notch 36 on the ring 34. This will bring the insulated blades 24 and into the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the circuit is open. When the handle 2'7 is rotated to the right, so that the roller 31 will engage the notch 37, then the blades 24 and 25 will engage the pairs of blades 19 and 18, respectively, and close the circuit, and when the handle 27 has been moved into the position that it would occupy in Fig. 4 at which time the roller 31 will be in the notch 39, the blade 25 will then have been moved below the blade 18, and the blade 24 will have been moved below the blade 19 and the switch will again be open, so that the handle 27 has one circuit closing position and two open circuit positions, one on each side of the circuit closing position.

A, spring pressed locking member 40 is provided with projections 41 and 42 on its inner end, which are radially dispossed to the axes of the shafts 20 and 21, and which are adapted to enter notches 43 and @44- in the ring 34 and notches 45, 46 and 47 in the ring 48 of the opposite switch, when these notches register with the ends 41 and 42 of the spring present bolt 40. The bolt 40 is freely slidable in the grooves 49 and 50 and is held in place by the screws 51 in the elongated openings 52. hen the parts 41 and 42 of the spring pressed bolt 40 enter a pair of notches in the rings 34 and 48 then the shafts 20 and 21, normally rotated by the handles 26 and 27, respectively, cannot be moved and the switch is locked. This condition can only be brought about by the operation of an insertable key and by the handle 27, said handle is moved to the position it would occupy it it were in place in Fig. 3 with the roller 31 in the notch 36.

A spring 53 is connected to the bolt 40 as at 54, the other end being attached to a fixed pin 55, the operation of the spring is to normally move the bolt 40 radially towards the shafts 20 and 21.

Pivotally mounted on the pin 55 is a bell crank latch lever 57, having a notch 58 at its lower vertical end adapted to engage a square pin 59, extending upwardly from the bolt 40. A spring 60 yieldingly moves the lower end of the latch lever 57 towards the pin 59. The pin 62 engages the upper end of the lever 57 to move it into the position' shown in Fig. 3 against the action of the spring 60 to permit the spring 53, when the latch is open, to move the bolt into position shown in Fig. 3 and lock both of the switches.

A pin 63 extends upwardly from the bolt 50 in the path of a horizontal pin 64 rotatable by the insertable key 65, of the lock 66. Another pin 67, secured to the lower end of the lever 57, is also in the path of the horizontal, rotatable pin 64, carried by the lock member of the lock 66, so that the spring pressed latch or lever 57 may be moved by operation of the key 65, into the position shown in Fig. 3 to release the bolt 40 so that the bolt may automatically engage the notched rings 34 and 48. When the key 65 is inserted in the lock 66 and turned to the left, the rotatable horizontal pin 64 will engage the pin 67 on the latch lever and displace it to release the bolt and cause the spring 53 to move the bolt 40 into locking position. The key 65 is one means by which this may be accomplished and the pin 62 on the rotatable ring 34 is another means, so that when the handle 27 is moved into the position upwardly, above the circuit closing position, that which it would occupy if in place in Fig. 3 with the roller 31 the notch 36, then the circuit is opened and the pin 62 will release the bolt 40 by moving the latch, and the bolt 40 will, by operation of the spring, be made to lock both of the switches; whereas ii the bolt 40 be under the influence of the spring and restrained by the latch 57 when the handle 27 is rotated to its lowermost position below circuit closing position, with the circuit, open, the latch then will not be operated and therefore the switches will not be locked because the bolt will not thereby be released, and the handle 27 may again be moved to circuit closing position. When the lock is used for automobiles, this is quite a convenience, because it sometimes happens that it is desirable to open the main circuit, in association with the engine of the automobile, without the necessity of locking the switch and when it is desirable to lock it, it is very convenient to simply move the handle 27, to its uppermost position, without the necessity of inserting the key in the key hole of the lock to accomplish this result. In every instance, however, the bolt 40 must be moved back to unlocked position by the key, shown in Fig. 6, before the latch lever will again prevent the movement of the bolt 40, by the pin 59 engaging the notch 58 therein, and in such open position, the handles 26 and 27 may freely be moved to manipulate the circuits.

In the event of a sudden emergency, such as a hold up it is quite a convenience and matter of safety to simply move the switch handle one notch, instead of by the cumbersome method of first finding, inserting and locking the switch with a detached key and then disposing of the key unobserved.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An electric switch having a handle for moving one element thereof to closed and to open position in combination with a spring pressed switch-locking bolt; a latch; means carried by the bolt cooperating with the latch to restrain the bolt and means controlled by said handle tor moving said latch to release the bolt and lock the switch in open position 2. An electric switch having a handle for moving one element thereof to closed and open position in combination with a spring pressed switch-locking bolt; a latch; means carried by the bolt cooperating with the latch to restrain the bolt; means controlled by said handle for moving said latch to release the bolt and lock the switch in open position, and a key operated lock cooperating with the bolt to return it and unlock the handle.

3. An electric switch having a handle for moving one element thereof to closed and open. position in combination with a spring pressed switch-locking bolt; a latch; means carried by the bolt cooperating with the latch to restrain the bolt; means controlled by said handle for moving said latch to re lease the bolt and lock the switch in open position; a key operated lock cooperating with the bolt to return it and unlock the handle when moved in one direction and to move the latch and release the bolt to lock the handle when moved in the opposite direction.

4. A switch having an operating handle to move an element thereof to a plurality of lock having a part to move the latch and release the bolt whereby to lock the handle in any of its positions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name.

JAMES KAVANA. 

